Off-the-Record Messaging Alternatives
Off-the-Record Messaging is described as 'Off-the-Record (OTR) Messaging allows you to have private conversations over any instant messaging (MSN,Gtalk, Facebook and so on) by providing encryption, authentication, deniability, perfect forward secrecy' and is a Encrypted Chat app in the social & communications category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Off-the-Record Messaging for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Android, Linux, Mac and iPhone. The best alternative is Telegram, which is free. Other great apps like Off-the-Record Messaging are Element, Tox, Jami and Silence IM.
Off-the-Record Messaging alternatives are mainly Encrypted Chat Apps but may also be Instant Messengers or Group Chat Apps. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Off-the-Record Messaging.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Java Mobile
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- HUAWEI AppGallery
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Linux Mobile
- Android Wear
- PortableApps.com
- FreeBSD
Telegram is a messaging app created by former VK creators with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free. It is like SMS, but more powerful.
- Freemium • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- Matrix.org
- Cloudron
Element is a secure collaboration and messaging app based on the Matrix protocol. It’s decentralised to deliver digital sovereignty, and based on an open standard for easy connections and interoperability. It is end-to-end encrypted by default.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Android Tablet
- BSD
With the rise of widespread government monitoring programs, Tox is an easy to use application that allows you to connect with friends and loved ones without anyone else listening in.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement
- Free • Open Source
- Android
Protect your communication in transit and on your phone. Silence (formerly SMSSecure) is a full replacement for the default text messaging application: all messages are encrypted locally and messages to other Silence users are encrypted over the air.
Discontinued
Silence seems to be discontinued, the only commits for a long time have been translations and not code updates.https://git.silence.dev/Silence/Silence-Android/-/commits/master
- Free • Open Source
- Android
- Android Tablet
- Telegram
An alternative Telegram client based on TDLib, with higher speed, slicker animations and experimental features.
- Free • Open Source
- iPhone
- iPad
ChatSecure is a free and open source messaging app that features OTR encryption over XMPP. You can connect to your existing accounts on Facebook or Google, create new accounts on public XMPP servers(including via Tor), or even connect to your own server for extra security.
- Freemium • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
Wickr is a free end-to-end encrypted text, video, picture and voice messenger with full sender control.
Bitmessage is a P2P communications protocol used to send encrypted messages to another person or to many subscribers. It is decentralized and trustless, meaning that you need-not inherently trust any entities like root certificate authorities.
Technitium Mesh is a secure, anonymous, peer-to-peer (p2p), open source instant messenger designed to provide end-to-end encryption. Primary aim of developing this instant messenger is to provide privacy which is achieved using cryptography and anonymity using Tor network.
